This invention relates to probes for remotely measuring thermal and electrical characteristics of seawater.
Such probes generally consist of a deployable probe unit which includes sensors for measuring the target characteristics, e.g., conductivity cells and temperature sensors, means (e.g., wires) for transmitting signals generated by the sensors to a base station, and circuitry for translating the signals received from the sensors into data reflecting the characteristics being measured. Since it is usually desired to be able to reliably compare data generated by different probes, it is necessary to ensure that different probes will generate the same data under the same conditions. One way to achieve this is to manufacture the sensors to very exact dimensions and very low error tolerances. Another, less expensive, way is to provide means for accurately calibrating the signals generated by the sensors.